Hassan Joho degree a fraud, says Uganda higher education authority

The degree certificate obtained by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho from Kampala University is a fraud, the Uganda National Council of Higher Education (NCHE), has said.

The details emerged even as a Mombasa judge directed that a case challenging the academic credentials of the governor be forwarded to the Chief Justice for further direction.

In Uganda, the council chaired by Prof Nyeko Pen-Mogi adopted the recommendations of a sub-committee which had been asked to investigate how the governor obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the private university.

“There was no clear evidence that academic due process was followed from admission to graduation regarding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (Human Resource Management option) awarded to Mr Hassan Ali Joho by Kampala University,” the council said in a resolution.

It further said in its April 30, 2013 report that it does not recognise Mr Joho’s degree, a decision that further complicates matters for the Cord governor, who is fighting for political survival after his rivals went to court to challenge his election on the grounds that he was not a degree holder. The law requires a governor and his deputy to be university graduates.

MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IN UGANDA

NCHE has said that Mr Joho may not have been in Uganda to physically undertake studies, raising doubts about how the university awarded him the degree.

It was acting on the recommendations of a committee chaired by Mr S.H. Nsubuga, which had it had that Mr Joho “fraudulently obtained the said qualifications from Kampala University” and that he “neither qualified for admission to the degree programme nor was he subjected to the due process.”

The committee also found that Mr Joho paid his entire fee for the programme in lump sum.

The university provided an admission letter, degree transcripts, graduation list and graduation day photographs to support Mr Joho’s degree claim but the committee still dismissed these.

“In addition, the receipts presented as evidence for payment of university fees were forgeries,” the committee had said before forwarding its recommendations to NCHE.

It also asked NCHE to investigate the entire admission and graduation of all the students who graduated with Mr Joho on February 28, 2013.

The report also said that Mr Joho did not live in Uganda for a sufficient period of time and, therefore, could not have fulfilled the Kampala University in-service mode requirement.

Said the report: We, therefore, conclude that Hassan Ali Joho did not fulfil the due process related to acquiring the Bachelor of Business Administration degree of Kampala University.

On Wednesday in Mombasa, Mr Justice Edward Muriithi directed that Mr Joho’s case be referred to the Chief Justice after consenting to submissions made by lawyers representing petitioners, respondents and interested parties, all of whom had said that there were substantive issues which ought to be dealt with by a three-bench judge.